Filming session 1

Over the Christmas holidays, we eventually began filming as our locations were possible and equipment was ready to use. With the assistance of Eboni, she and I filmed a short time lapse in the location of a friends garden which fitted the criteria that we wanted in terms of a backdrop. We filmed the time lapse on an iPad in the back garden to show the sun going down from light to dark as a symbol of time passing in context to show how the artist is missing his partner. I wanted to use as much unique technology as possible that was available to modernise the video and include features that may challenge the conventions of a usual RnB video.

Before this, I trialled a time lapse from my bedroom to see how it may look and I have decided that the footage will be in contention for the final video as the lighting is perfect to show time passing and daily activities continuing whilst showing the idea of time going very slowly for Tavonga, the artist. This draft footage could be useful and so I am happy for it to be used when we edit the footage as we can add it in to break down seconds that may be needed to fill up the time of the video. I did not have a tripod for the footage at this time so I leant my phone up using some props to get a good angle with the effective view to show the time lapse of the sky moving, cars going past and doors opening and closing. This is the view that I got.

This was only a very short filming session however, we have since got a very big bit of filming done which will be evident in my next post. These pieces of footage will be very useful in-between shots to create some context but the next session is much longer with more detailed scenes and filming. 

Props used in our video

The 2 main props used in our music video are a red rose and a clear glass and so because this was my role in the group I had to ensure that these were available for use. I firstly when into Manchester and bought 3 glasses as I thought that if we did not catch the smashing on the glass on the film then we had spares as back up to film it again. It turned out that this was not the case but we had the extras as insurance anyway. This part was successful and the smashing of the glass looks very effective as part of the video as I filmed it in slow motion as it hit the floor. This is a unique feature of our video.

The other prop that I have used is a red rose which I have previously mentioned will be used as a motif that runs through the video as a symbol of the love that the artist and actor once had. The whole group went out to buy this however, there were none in stock at the time. Instead, we knew a contact that was willing to let us borrow one and so we went round and picked it up. This was very helpful as we went away and filmed all of the scenes that the rose was needed in so that we could give it back as soon as possible. We also filmed the rose in slow motion to show this motif style as the colour is very vibrant and meaningful.

Popular shots and props in rnb videos

My role in the group is to research and focus on the camera shots and props to be used in our music video. From my research in terms of props, many are unachievable as lots of the videos focus on fast cars, swimming pools and expensive jewellery however, I found a piece that says expensive alcohol is focussed on and I believe that this can be made possible for our video. This will add a sense of class towards the artist during the video which is one of the representations that we are aiming towards. Flowers are commonly used too in order to achieve the romance element of the video and so we have decided to include a rose as a symbol of love between the artist and actress in the video. This rose will also be used as a motif throughout the video to remind the audience of the romance that the couple once had before the break up which they will have just watched.

In terms of camera shots, the performance based RnB videos tend to use various long shots and group shots to be able to show the artist performing a form of dance routine which could also include backing dancers too which also need to be in shot. Alternatively, in narrative based RnB videos, the camera shots can vary. Establishing and wide shots are used to identify location and set the artist here and close ups are commonly used to establish the facial expressions of the artist to try to understand their feelings as they may change emotions through the narrative of the video. They may then revert to a long shot as there may be areas of performance within the narrative where the artist sings their feelings directly to the camera in an attempt to connect the audience with what they are saying. An example of the close up used is Usher in his video for Burn,

Actress profile- Eboni

In terms of choosing people to feature in the music video, we have had to improvise and choose Eboni to take part as the female to work with Tavonga in order to stick to the narrative. Eboni is fine to do this and so we have all the people ready to begin filming.

Name: Eboni Birchall
Age: 17
Inspiration: Beyonce
Background: Born and brought up in Northern England
Interests: Socialising and listening to RnB music, particularly Chris Brown and Kanye West.
Education: Currently studing A-Levels at Wellington Sixth Form
Subjects studying: Media, Textiles, Art

Camera shots research

Within the group, I am in control of the camera shots that we will use for the scenes in the video that we are created. I already have a very good idea of the shots that will be needed and for what reason but I also did some extra research of shots and some that I may not have come across before which could be useful.

Tavonga's Branding

All of our group members have known Tavonga since year 7 and so we understand the key areas of his background and main passions in life. We can use some of this in our video as a method of branding and understanding of artist. He is originally from Zimbabwe and lives in a strong Christian household.

Tavonga studied music at GCSE and has gone on to study this specifically at college and so he is very experienced in this field and passionate within it. From recent social media pictures, I have noticed that Tavonga likes to dress with modern fashion and he loves to ensure that his look is always smart. We have likened this to artists in the RnB industry such as: Ne-Yo, Kanye West and Chris Brown. This will be the focus of the branding for us and we will look closely into costume for the way that we represent him.

From knowing Tavonga, we know that he has a very bubbly and energetic personality which shines through, particularly when he makes his music. He also performs often which is helpful for us and so will make the most of this talent. We will be sure to create a positive representation of him within our video and an audience will see that as we will feature shots where he is lonely and sad but then will be aware of his passion and energy as he sings the song. The audience will feel sorry for him through the use of establishing and POV shots.

Song upload to Mac (Editing session 1)

After downloading the song through my laptop at home, we were ready to upload it to the Apple Macs so that we could put any footage over it without having to add in the music later on as we would find this very hard to match up. I saved the song to my memory stick and easily found the track on the Macs. We had to insert it onto a new event of which we would continue the video once we had the footage to upload. For now though, we have everything in place on the Macs and are ready to add footage to the song when we are ready.

Exploration of lyrics

In order to give our video its own meaning, we have changed the scenes of the original video to create our own however, we have made sure that the lyrics will still match up with the on screen visuals. This is very important as it makes it much easier for the audience to understand the message of the video and to follow the narrative. I have matched up these lyrics with certain shots and explained within this and the storyboard, how they link and the reasons for it. It was also important that I explored the lyrics and used this to create the storyboard so that we could understand the original message and adapt it to our own video to challenge conventions but still portray a clear message.

Artist profile

Song Download

In order to make the video, I firstly had to download the song and transfer it to my memory stick so that I could upload it to the Macs ready for when we put the footage on with it. I went away and downloaded the song through YouTube so that it was entered into my downloads file. I then brought the memory stick into school so that I could transfer it to the Macs and it is now ready and created as a new video to add the footage and begin the editing process.

Iconography Ideas

In order to challenge the conventions of the original music video, we have decided to include an instance of Iconography. Throughout our video, we will have a recurring motif of a red rose which will symbolise the romance and affection that the couple had when they were together in the relationship. We have decided that it will appear in the flashbacks and particularly the good memories that the couple had as a sign of the strength that they had within the relationship. The two points that we will show it during the flashbacks are when the couple are out spending time with each other at markets and then we will juxtapose this when the Tavonga is sat on the bed alone and the rose features in the corner. The main idea is to not make the rose stand out too much but to make sure that it is noticeable to be recognised as a motif and for the audience to understand the meaning of this.

At the end of the video, the rose will appear again when we revert back to the smashing of the glass at the beginning as the couple are arguing. Towards the end, the smashed glass will already be on the floor and to add to this, we will drop the rose to symbolise the end of the relationship and Ne-Yo's (or Tavonga's in this case) feeling that he is 'So Sick' of love songs. With the use of advanced technology, I will ensure that the rose drops in slow motion to match up with the audio that fades out at the end of the song. After this slow motion shot, we will end the song with a fade into black or white as a sense of closure and an end to the relationship.

                             

Completed Storyboard

In our last Media lesson, we finished the storyboard after spending some of our media sessions as well as vital time in free periods so that we could begin filming. Throughout the plan, we have made our narrative structure very clear whereby we have a couple who have broken up from a relationship and the video focuses on the effects of this. The male (Tavonga) will be singing as Ne-Yo does this in the actual song and we have made sure that with most shots, the lyrics will match up with the on-screen visuals to try to portray the message and story of what is going on in the video.

Branding and Image

World superstars in the music industry are often known for a certain look that makes them much more than just a singer, but a brand too. Beyonce is famous for her sparkly dresses and sharp dance moves whilst Rihanna is known to be outrageous and to connote sex within her performances and music videos. Chains, rings and nails are always on show with her and we understand her as a brand rather than just a performer.

In the RnB genre, this iconography is relevant with Ne-Yo as he is seen often wearing suits and always wears a hat for his videos or performances. Just like Ne-Yo, I am looking to model Tavonga's image in this way so that he is more than just a performer. Instead, we may focus on footwear rather than head wear and look closely at the costume he is wearing whether it be in the form of a suit or just smart/casual clothing to perform in.

With Tavonga, we have many options as he wears lots of caps and hats whilst he has a very unique haircut which we could focus our promotion around. With his permission, I can share these ideas from his social media pages which may help us decide with what costume we are thinking about and how best he will work with the audience. This may be, an iconic hairstyle that the audience will instantly recognise, a signature pair of colourful trainers or a baseball hat that he wears. We will choose one of these looks and have him consistently using throughout the video.